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U.S. awaits investigation of Syrian chemical weapons use

The U.S. will not confirm or deny the use of chemical munitions in Syria until an investigation is conducted, according to a State Department press briefing on Tuesday.

While Israel claims that Bashar al-Assad's Syrian regime has repeatedly used chemical weapons with absolute certainty, the U.S. awaits an investigation by the U.N. to validate or refute the claims. Patrick Ventrell, the acting deputy spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, commented on the matter during his daily briefing.

"The bottom line is that (we) continue to support an investigation of all credible allegations of chemical weapons used to establish the facts of exactly what did or didn't happen," Ventrell said. "But in terms of new information today, I don't have anything for you one way or another other than to say that we coordinate closely with our partners, including the French, British, and the Israelis."

When asked how the U.S. would support the investigation when the Syrian regime refused to let the U.N. team safely enter the country, Ventrell said he would not preview any potential next steps if the Syrian refusal continued.

"We are encouraging the Syrians to allow the team in, but we'll be looking at all sources of evidence in terms of chemical weapons use," Ventrell said. "And we are strongly urging the regime not to use chemical weapons."